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Topical JAK Inhibitors for the Treatment of Alopecia Areata and Vitiligo

  • Cutaneous Drug Reactions (J Brieva, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Dermatology Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Alopecia areata (AA) and vitiligo are dermatological autoimmune diseases that, until recently, have had no specifically targeted therapies. Here, we review the future of therapies specifically targeted to the treatment of alopecia areata and vitiligo, both of which have JAK-STAT signaling implicated in their pathogenesis.

Recent Findings

With a greater understanding of disease mechanisms and pathogenesis, we are now able to target the immune dysfunction in autoimmune diseases with more precision than topical corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors. Inhibition of the JAK-STAT pathway has been shown to be effective in the treatment of AA, vitiligo, and in some patients with both diseases.

Summary

In this review, we summarize the current molecular and immunological understanding of AA and vitiligo, how JAK inhibition is increasingly positioned as a new therapy for autoimmune diseases, and the future of topical JAK inhibitors in the field of dermatology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Russ Berrie Medical Pavilion, Columbia University Medical Centre, 1150 St Nicholas Avenue, Room 303B, New York City, NY, 10032, USA

    Etienne C. E. Wang & Angela M. Christiano

  2. University of Massachusetts, 364 Plantation Street, LRB 225, Worchester, MA, 01605, USA

    John E. Harris

Authors
  1. Etienne C. E. Wang
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  2. John E. Harris
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  3. Angela M. Christiano
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Etienne C. E. Wang or Angela M. Christiano.

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Conflict of Interest

Etienne CE Wang declares no conflict of interest.

Dr. Christiano reports grants from National Institutes of Health, grants from Locks of Love Foundation, during the conduct of the study; personal fees from Aclaris Therapeutics, other from National Alopecia Areata Foundtion (NAAF), outside the submitted work. In addition, Dr. CHRISTIANO has a patent issued.

Dr. Harris reports grants and personal fees from Pfizer, grants and personal fees from Abbvie, Inc., grants and personal fees from Genzyme/Sanofi, personal fees from Concert Pharmaceuticals, grants from Stiefel/GSK, personal fees from Novartis, personal fees from Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc., grants from Celgene, outside the submitted work.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Cutaneous Drug Reactions

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Wang, E.C.E., Harris, J.E. & Christiano, A.M. Topical JAK Inhibitors for the Treatment of Alopecia Areata and Vitiligo. Curr Derm Rep 6, 1–6 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13671-017-0163-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13671-017-0163-z

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